The present invention relates generally to computer servers. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved server design for housing and cooling multiple computer modules, power supplies, bus routers, and the like, in a limited space.
Advances in computer technology have allowed individuals and businesses to operate multiple full-scale computer server systems from within the home and small or remote offices. In this environment, or any other environment where floor and desk space is limited, it is important that the computer equipment occupies a relatively small amount of space while receiving adequate ventilation and access to power supplies and network connections that enable communication over the Internet or a private network.
There are a number of prior art solutions to assist with the installation of multiple pieces of computer equipment in a compact space, such as the traditional rack mounted server or a Local Area Network (LAN) closet. For example, servers are housed in large computer cases (i.e. mini-towers) that can either sit on the floor or that can be built into a rack-mounted chassis. The traditional rack-mounted servers are approximately 19 inches wide, and do not to make the most efficient use of space. They also fail to adequately address the ventilation, communication, and power supply needs of the computers they house. The LAN closet, while a compact storage area, renders the computers somewhat inaccessible and may also fail to address the necessary ventilation, communication, and power supply needs of the computers that they house.
Another popular prior art solution for simplifying the installation of multiple pieces of computer equipment is to make them stackable, thereby eliminating the need for an external rack. For example, Intel Corporation, the assignee of the present application for patent, sells a line of 5- and 8-port communication hubs under the trademark Intel InBusiness(copyright), that utilize a stackable modular design. However, such individual stackable modules also fail to address the ventilation, communication, and power supply needs of multiple pieces of equipment in a limited space. For example, multiple central processing units (CPUs) present in a typical server system require a reliable cooling flow of air (i.e. system air) in order to operate properly. Since the stackable, rack-mounted, and LAN closet solutions do not address the individual system air cooling requirements of each CPU, there exists an undesirable single point of failure if the air cooling system in the area where the CPUs are located fails.
What is needed, therefore, is a new approach that simplifies the installation of multiple pieces of computer equipment in a limited space, while providing support for the ventilation, communication, and power supply needs of each piece of equipment in a manner that is accessible, fault-tolerant, and efficient.